Chapter 13 Dagon #2
“Ah, ah,” Xavier says, stepping closer to her. “I’ll know if you lie.”
Daphne huffs.
“This was a bad idea,” Annika whispers to me. “You were right.”
I smirk. “I’m going to ask you to repeat that when we’re not in such a tight spot.”
A ripple of amusement flickers down the bond I can’t ignore.
“I’ll give the desperate hunter the exact location if you answer honestly.” Xavier sweetens the deal. “Tell me, Daphne. What’s your favorite sin?”
Damn, he’s laying on it on thick, his voice going low between them.
It definitely feels like we shouldn’t be watching the exchange.
But we can’t leave her alone with him. She’s an adult human, sure, but he’s…
him. I promised Annika we wouldn’t let anything happen to her, so we stay rooted to the spot.
Daphne looks up at him with almost a murderous rage. Have to give the human credit, she’s tough as nails for how innocent she looks.
Xavier doesn’t seem fazed by the look, standing there content like he has an eternity to wait for her answer.
“Promise me,” she demands. “Promise me you’ll tell him the specific location you felt his brother. No games. No vague descriptions.”
Xavier visibly swallows. I’m certain the demon king isn’t used to be given demands like she is. “I promise.”
Fuck. I wonder if he’s ever said those two words before? Saint and I share a look, all of us on a knife’s edge as we wait.
Daphne’s glare softens at his assurance.
“You,” she admits on a breath. “You’re my favorite sin.” Her anger is back. “Is that good enough? Is your ego fully fed now?”
Oh fuck.
Xavier’s smile is deadly, his lips turning up at the corners in a way that would send most creatures running. Instinct has me gathering all the air in the room on the tips of my fingers, ready to wield it in a heartbeat if necessary.
Not Daphne though. She stares right back at him, a challenge in her eyes. No fear. The young human has zero fear.
“I sensed your twin in one of my chemical districts,” Xavier says, continuing with the address.
“Thank you,” Daphne says on a released breath.
Xavier turns to me, the shift in focus snapping me to attention. “In my experience,” he says, eyes flickering to Annika and back to me. “Fighting what you want most makes you more of a monster.”
The unacknowledged bond between Annika and me practically burns at his prodding.
Xavier turns back to Daphne. “The next time you come to me for a favor, it better be for something you personally want. Something you’re ready for too, because the next bargain we strike will have you leaving here a different person.”
Daphne’s lips part, her hands balling into fists at her sides. Shit, is she about to slug the demon king?
Annika grabs her friend’s hand, drawing her back.
“The next time I ask you for a favor,” Daphne hurtles at him. “Will only be if my life depends on it!”
“Sure, darling,” Xavier says, flicking his wrist. A path carves itself into the shadows, still hiding the entirety of the club from our group. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.” He spins around, disappearing into the darkness.
“Meet me at the location he gave us,” Saint says, wending before I can even respond.
I’m stunned for a few seconds. It’s clear Daphne has entirely more sway with Xavier than we knew about, especially if he’s allowing us to wend out of his club. I felt the wards when we entered, but he’s lifted them for Saint and myself.
Fuck. I sure as hell hope Daphne knows the fire she’s playing with.
“Let’s get you two home,” I say, and both of them step toward me, allowing me to wend them back to the residence.
Ten minutes later, me, Ajax, and Lachlan meet Saint at the address Xavier gave us—an abandoned house in a lackluster subdivision. The demon king had said it was his chemical district, and I can smell why. The space reeks of illegal substances. This house must’ve been used as a lab at one point.
“Smart choice,” Saint says as we find him lingering next to a dusty wooden table. “The chemical smell is almost enough to wipe away Samuel’s scent.”
“Almost,” I say. It’s faint, but I know he was here. Recently.
“He’s gone,” Saint says. “I already looked.” He eyes remnants of flowers on the table. “This looks like a new strain of Night Thistle.”
“Shit,” Ajax says.
Lachlan is walking around the place, inhaling deeply. “Kyle Moorhouse was here too,” he says, his tone an angry bite mentioning his mate’s brother.
“So they really are working together,” Ajax says.
I step toward the table, eying the leftover Night Thistle. “Saint?”
“I’m fine.”
He’s really not. I can tell. But I’m not about to push it. If we don’t find Samuel soon, I’m worried about what Saint will turn into.
“Get rid of it,” Saint says, nodding to the Night Thistle before he stomps out of the house.
Ajax and I share a look, and he dips his head, hurrying after him.
“I don’t like this,” Lachlan says. “The quiet. It feels like something bad is brewing.”
“I agree,” I say, snapping my fingers. The Night Thistle incinerates, a small flash of flame consuming all traces of the vicious substance. “But until we find them, there’s nothing we can do.”
And my gut sinks as the truth of those words catches up to me.